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The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reports its effort to end the use of live dogs in trauma testing has succeeded at the University of Michigan. Instead the school will join 90 percent of other facilities in the U.S. and Canada that use alternatives such as simulators in the Advanced Trauma Life Support course. Now the group is turning its attention to New Jersey, where the University Hospital of Newark still uses live pigs for trauma training.

Hey, there's a new face at the water cooler and he's slobbering on the spigot. More and more workplaces - 20 percent in fact - allow employees to bring their canine companions to work. Supporters tell USA Today the presence of animals reduces stress in the workplace, but no doubt dogs behaving badly can send stress levels in the other direction. That's why some companies offer a "three-strikes" policy for dog owners, giving them time to get their pups in line before giving them the boot.

Long distance traveler award of the week. Imagine their surprise when the Geary family of Louisville, KY, took a call from an animal control officer in Tennessee saying he had found their German Shepherd, Astro, who went missing from their Florida home nine years ago.

The family had adopted the dog in Florida in 2000 and a month later he disappeared. The family was living in Florida 9 years ago and adopted the dog in Palm City. A month later, he disappeared. On Jan. 29, an animal control officer in Tennessee picked up Astro, who was running loose. Officers tracked down the family through a microchip implanted in the canine.

Bet you didn't know that March is National Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month. The Pennsylvania SPCA (PSPCA) Philadelphia Adoption Center has a few of these companions looking for new homes. The adoption fee is $10, but prospective owners must be willing to commit to five to seven years of love and care, including the right kind of cage (wire-bottom), lots of chew toys and regular vet care. The SPCA also has other furry pocket friends, including hamsters and gerbils for adoption. And, remember, it's BYOC (bring your own cage).

In other PSPCA news, the shelter has just launched a new blog -“PSPCA Tails”: http://pspcatails.blogspot.com/. Pet lovers can click there to see photos and read success stories about the shelters adopted animals, events listings and other news.